"The comedy designation will offer ['The Martian'] the
ability to compete against lighter fare,"
Nicole Sperling wrote for Entertainment Weekly. "That's all
good news for 'The Martian.' It's bad news for the pure comedies
that are looking for a little love, especially since they are
consistently ignored by the Academy when it comes time to vote."

Paul Feig, who directed "Spy," (which was nominated for the same
category) tweeted his displeasure:

A comedy's a film whose #1 goal is to make people laugh. If that wasn't the filmmakers' top goal, it's not a comedy. https://t.co/ikuWK14FJh

Tech Insider: How did you both feel about The
Martian being classified as a comedy, and everybody’s reaction to
that?

Aditya Sood: Yes, this is the big thing. "The
Martian" won the Golden Globe for best musical or comedy. All I
will say is this: "Birdman" was
nominated for musical or comedy the year before, and we are
way funnier than "Birdman."

Andy Weir: If you look up what the other
nominees were, there was only one of them that really falls into
that category, and it was "Spy." ... That was clearly a comedy.
But all the rest of them just weren't either of those things. And
actually since then, the Hollywood Foreign Press has changed the
rules of how movies get categorized. This is kind of like Obama
winning the Nobel Peace Prize when he had just taken office; he's
like, "Well, uh, thanks…?"